The Dream Puzzle
by Piscean6724
Summary: Chet is plagued by insomnia while on shift until he rolls over in bed one night and sees a stranger standing over the bed of the sleeping Marco. Is Chet hallucinating from lack of sleep or is Marco in danger?
1. Chapter 1

The Dream Puzzle

1

The station was dark and quiet except for the muffled snores of a couple of the firefighters and the occasional squeak of bedsprings as one of them rolled over. The ticking of the wall clock in the dorm kept time with Marco's breathing which Chet found slightly annoying. He was awake again in the wee hours of the morning. This had been happening more often than not in recent shifts and he was beginning to get alarmed. _Geez Kelly, come on, _he thought then decided to roll over on his other side – the side facing Marco – hoping to relax and drift off.

As he rolled over – squeaking the springs again – he opened his eyes just enough to check the time but his eyes never made it up to the clock. Instead, he lay in bed staring at a man standing over Marco's bed seemingly watching the older firefighter sleep. Chet knew he should be alarmed but for reasons he couldn't explain he wasn't. He felt a strange sense of alright-ness surround him like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Momentarily stunned, he quickly shut his eyes and reopened them. Again, the figure was standing near the head of Marco's bed gazing down at the sleeping man. Marco rolled over but didn't seem to notice the stranger standing so near him. The guy was dressed in some type of white loose fitting shirt and had blonde hair and beard but Chet couldn't make out his facial features which were hidden in the shadows of the walls. He leaned up on one elbow to get a better look hoping he'd at least recognize the man. Instead, the light from the streetlamp shining through the blinds cast shadows resembling piano keys across his face but Chet knew that the intruder had seen him because he could see the glow of his beard as it passed through the lines of light when his face rose up to look in Chet's direction. Startled, Chet rubbed his eyes and took another look. He was gone; vanished. The dorm looked exactly like it did on any normal night. No one else stirred. No one else had seen the stranger; not even Marco.

Chet laid his head back down on the pillow as a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his face and neck. What had he just seen? Can a person dream when he's awake? _Shit, this_ _lack of sleep is making me lose it_. Then a terrifying realization bolted through his thoughts. He had seen a stranger standing over Marco's bed just moments ago and then suddenly he was gone. Chet never heard a door open or close which meant he was still in the building.

Fear wrapped its boney fingers around Kelly's ribs and formed a fist inside his chest. He felt his heart rate increase along with his breathing. He had to check out the rest of the station. This unknown guy knew Chet had seen him which is most likely why he had fled the dorm so quickly. His head told him to wake up the other guys to do a thorough sweep but his pride told him to do it alone. _Man, I'll never hear the end of this from Gage if we don't find anyone_. So, he quietly pulled on his turnout gear and headed to the latrine. At least if any of the other guys woke up they'd think he had simply gotten up to use the bathroom. Slowly and carefully, he searched every corner – every square inch in fact – of Station 51. He looked inside and under both vehicles being extra careful not to wake his sleeping comrades. He opened every cabinet, supply closet, and even looked underneath the tables. After scouring the station from top to bottom over a two hour period, he found nothing out of the ordinary; except for one semi-frightened firefighter wandering around the station at 0500, who was beginning to think he'd seen a ghost.

Morning klaxons sounded arousing the sleeping firefighters; at least five of them were still sleeping. Hank acknowledged the wake-up tones and then drew his eyebrows together and wrinkled his nose.

"Is that coffee I smell?" He asked of no one in particular.

"Hey, I smell it too, Cap." Johnny said with a yawn as he looked around to see who was missing. "Must be Chet - he's the only one up already."

The five of them stepped into their turnout gear pulling on their suspenders as they trudged sleepily toward the kitchen. They found Chet already in uniform sitting at the table nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee. He had obviously been up for quite a while reading the morning newspaper.

"Mornin' fellas." He commented in a subdued voice.

John and Roy exchanged bewildered glances and Roy was really afraid that Johnny was going to seize the opportunity to make some smart remark to Chet. Much to Roy's surprise - and relief - Gage kept his mouth shut. He seemed genuinely concerned by Chet's behavior.

"Couldn't sleep, pal?" Hank asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee and passed the pot over to Mike.

"Nah, I had a really weird dream last night and just couldn't go back to sleep. So I figured I'd go ahead and make us some coffee."

"Dreamed you had a date with some hot chick, huh?" Johnny jeered.

"Gage, will you shut up." Chet commented; his eyes never leaving the newspaper as he slowly turned the page leaving Mike, Roy and Hank staring at each other wondering if the world had just tilted on its axis from the role reversal playing out in front of them.

Marco was only half listening as the crews voices seemed to melt into one similar to the adults on the Peanuts cartoons. He sat staring into the darkness of his coffee rubbing his forehead with his thumb and fingers as his mind drifted back to his own strange dream from the previous night. The details hovering in his mind like a fog of jigsaw puzzle pieces just waiting for him to put them all together.


	2. Chapter 2

The Dream Puzzle

2

Shift change occurred without fanfare leaving Mike, Marco and Johnny changing into their street clothes while the other half of "A" shift busied themselves with mundane chores. Roy left quickly as he had to drop off his dirty uniforms at the dry cleaners and Hank needed to tidy up the office before "B" shift had roll call. Chet, still somewhat unnerved wandered out on the front lawn of the station unsure of exactly what he thought he'd find there. Whatever it was, he didn't find it and walked around the side of the building, passing the kitchen door on his way to the back of the station. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Nothing looked different. In fact, everything about Station 51 looked exactly as it had every other day. He stood momentarily staring at the hoses he'd helped hang up the previous day and let his eyes fall on each vehicle in the back parking lot. He recognized each one there. Johnny had already left and Mike was just backing out. He slipped his key into his VW van door and listened for the click as it unlocked. He hesitated before climbing behind the wheel. _What if…nah. _Even though he was beginning to feel paranoid, he couldn't help himself. He turned to make sure he was alone in his van before he cranked it up and backed out of the parking lot. Then with his right hand draped loosely over the steering wheel in the 12 o'clock position, he lifted his fingers in a half-hearted wave to Marco as he exited the rear door and headed to his own vehicle.

Marco threw his jacket over his right shoulder offering a friendly nod to the exiting Chet. He couldn't help but be worried about his eccentric crewmate. Chet had not been himself this morning. Marco made the right turn as he drove his car around the side of Station 51. Approaching East 223rd Street, he leaned forward looking in both directions before making the familiar right turn to head home. Once he was in the line of moving cars he leaned back in his seat and began replaying the events of the morning. Chet had seemed perfectly fine when they retired for the night so what could have possibly happened that had him so spooked. He'd mentioned something about a dream but the subject had been dropped after Johnny's smart aleck comment about a hot chick or something. Marco really hadn't thought anything else about it until he was standing in the kitchen a few minutes ago and noticed his buddy meandering past the kitchen door on his way to the back of the station. Why had Chet taken that route to get to his car this morning? And why was his comment about a bad dream echoing inside the walls of Marco's own hazy dream recall world.

Chet entered his apartment and headed straight back to his bedroom. What he needed was a long hot shower and some serious sack time. He walked into the bathroom pulling back the navy blue shower curtain and turning on the water. In a matter of seconds he had shed his clothing and stepped into the steaming hot shower. He closed his eyes as he allowed the hot water to wash away the anxiety he'd been feeling for nearly six hours. As he was rinsing the shampoo from his hair he scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands when images of the movie Psycho flashed through his mind's eye causing him to remain wide-eyed for the remainder of his fear-shortened shower. With a jerking movement he snatched the shower curtain back half expecting someone to be standing there with a knife poised above his head. However, all he saw was a cloud of steamy vapor trapped in his small bathroom.

"Damn it!" He voiced his frustrations with himself. _Chet, you fight freakin' fires for a living and now you can't even take a shower without having a nervous breakdown. _He dried himself off and wiped the condensation from his mirror. He was jumpy and he knew beyond a doubt that he would not be getting any sleep. He still had hopes of at least a short nap as he pulled on a t-shirt and his boxers and crawled into his bed; but an hour later he was still lying there staring at the ceiling and silently cursing himself and his predicament.

"Mornin' Chet, what's got you here so early?" Hank Stanley always arrived at the station by 0730 but rarely did any other member of his crew.

"I don't know, Cap, just bored I guess." Chet really didn't have a plausible explanation. He couldn't tell Cap that he was still feeling a little bit spooked and wanted to have time to walk around the station before the shift started; hoping to calm his nerves by proving to himself that nothing was out of the ordinary at Station 51.

Hank was concerned about his young linesmen. He noticed the dark circles beginning to appear underneath Chet's eyes and wondered what exactly was going on with him. Captain Stanley stood in the doorway of his office watching the forlorn looking fireman meander across the empty apparatus bay as he made his way to the dorm.

Several minutes later, Hank heard the sound of the bay door rising as the engine and squad returned from an early morning run. He had already made a pot of coffee knowing that the crew of "C" shift would appreciate it as the logbook indicated they'd been called out at 0427 to assist Station 110 on a structure fire that had obviously spread. They should be returning at any time but Hank knew they'd be exhausted and would need the caffeine to make their drive home a little safer.

As the men of "C" shift exited their vehicles with various moans and groans about being tired and sleepy, Marco and Mike exited the locker room dressed in their uniforms. As they walked behind the freshly parked engine and squad, Marco caught a glimpse of an orange streak flashing through the apparatus bay headed toward the locker room. Gage was running late again and nearly knocked Roy down as he hastily entered the locker room to change into his uniform. The sight of Gage's orange shirt sent Marco's mind reeling back in time to the dream he had the last night he had spent in the station. Strange, he hadn't even thought about it since the morning that shift had ended but now the color of Gage's shirt had resurrected his memory of that forgotten dream. Something in the dream was the same color as Gage's shirt. He couldn't remember exactly what it was but he was sure it wasn't a fire. It wasn't unusual for a firefighter to dream about fires and Marco had had his share of those nightmares. No, this was something much more unusual than a simple fire dream. He knew that a couple of pieces of his dream puzzle had just fit together; but there were still plenty of other pieces continuing to float around in his memory.


	3. Chapter 3

The Dream Puzzle

3

"Do anything special on your day off, Junior?" Roy asked as his partner exchanged his civilian clothes for the more familiar blues.

"Come on, Pally; you know I don't kiss and tell." Gage grinned as his partner rolled his eyes and turned to walk out of the locker room.

_X_

Roll call had been uneventful - nothing unusual and nothing new. Chores had been doled out and the men made their way to their various assignments.

Johnny and Roy were working in the kitchen while Mike had drawn latrine duty. In the dorm, Marco was watching Chet with great concern. Marco had already stripped three beds while Chet was standing beside Marco's bed – staring at the linens instead of stripping them. Marco had no idea what could be going through his friend's head but he was about to ask him.

Chet stood beside Marco's bed in the exact spot he'd seen the bearded man during the night on their last shift. He was trying to figure out how the stranger had moved so quickly out of his line of site when suddenly the klaxons sounded jolting him out of his reverie.

_Station 51, structure fire at 234 East 227__th__ Ave. That's 2-3-4 East 227__th__ Ave. Cross street Doloris. Time out 0842._

Captain Stanley rushed from his office to the radio and acknowledged the call.

"10-4, KMG365"

He wrote down the pertinent information then handed the slip of paper to Roy as he headed for his seat on the engine Mike had ready to roll. Roy passed the slip over to Johnny who was tightening his chinstrap. The bay door rose and the squad began moving forward followed closely by the engine.

Minutes later, the red duo screeched to a halt in front of a large apartment complex. It was older and was in the process of being renovated so only a few units were actually occupied. Several residents and other bystanders were outside lining the perimeter trying to stay out of the way of the emergency crews. Vince Howard and several other LA County Sheriffs Deputies were already on the scene for crowd control and to reroute traffic.

Stanley's men exited their respective vehicles pulling on their turnout coats. Hank was shouting orders as Mike began working his magic with the knobs and levers on the side of the engine. The crowd watched as hoses became charged and two sets of firemen began spraying the angry flames. Hank made his way over to the office manager who was looking around frantically. He recognized the look. There was at least one person whom the apartment manager was expecting to see in the crowd who wasn't there. He jogged over to her and asked if everyone had made it out.

"I, um, I'm not sure. I don't see Mr. Flynn anywhere. He's in A-3." She managed to shout over the noise while running a frantic hand through her greying hair.

"Roy….John….possible victim in A-3. Adult male. Take air." Hank commanded.

Without missing a beat Johnny shut off the flow of the hose he and Roy were manning. They rushed back to the squad and donned their SCBA before heading over to A-3. Chet and Marco had already been instructed to move toward that particular apartment to provide water cover for the paramedics.

Roy found the door locked and took a couple of steps back to gain some momentum before his boot made contact with the door near the door knob. The door lock buckled under the pressure and Roy entered the apartment followed by Johnny close on his heels.

"Hello….anybody in here?" Roy called out; his voice muffled by his oxygen mask. He looked underneath the bed and in the closet of the bedroom but found nothing.

"Hello?" Johnny called as he opened up the bathroom door and felt it bump against something on the floor. He peered around the door and found an unconscious man lying on the floor. The shower curtain had been pulled down in what looked like an attempt to pull himself up off the floor before he passed out.

"Hey Roy….Roy in here." John yelled down the hallway. He'd need Roy's help to get the man out of the small bathroom. Within seconds, his partner appeared as Johnny stepped over the toilet toward the head of their victim. He reached underneath the elderly man's arms grabbing his wrists as he hoisted him up. At the same time, Roy lifted the man's legs and they made their way toward the front of the apartment.

Neither man noticed that pieces of the ceiling were beginning to fall as the fire ate its way through the thin layer of wood and insulation. Chet followed by Marco stepped into the living room of the apartment after Roy and John had exited with the patient. He began spraying water on the flames licking the wall joining this apartment with its neighbor. He was spraying in a circular motion for only a few seconds when he felt a hand on his shoulder gently pulling him backwards. He recognized the tug of his partner and knew that Marco had seen something that caused him alarm. Chet shut off the water while backing up and turning slightly to make a quicker exit. Marco made the same turn only a half second after his shorter partner and they both hustled back out of the open front door. A cracking sound startled them and they both turned back to see the ceiling crumbling down blanketing the room they had just exited in a combination of soot, choking smoke and burning embers.

The two coughing linesmen ran away from the burning building and realized that two other engines had arrived to assist them. Both of them kneeled down on the asphalt near the engine coughing and wheezing. Cap and Mike both realized what a close call they'd had and Mike grabbed the oxygen from the engine and placed the mask over Chet's face. He inhaled as deeply as he could for a couple of breaths then tried to pass the mask over to Marco. The older man held up his hand in refusal and Chet saw that Cap had brought out another oxygen tank and mask for Marco. Marco also took several deep breaths while looking over to see that the victim that Roy and Johnny had rescued was beginning to come around. _Thank God,_ he thought to himself. That had been a close call for the victim as well as Marco and Chet.

Marco noticed that a young man perhaps 28 or 30 years old was jogging over to where the paramedics were working on the older man. He was slim wearing a white dress shirt and running his hands through his blonde curls as he stood over the coughing man. Roy had looked up and was talking to the young man whom Marco assumed was probably a relative of the victim. He saw the younger man break out in a huge smile. He then brought both hands together just underneath his nose and close his eyes as though he was silently saying a prayer of thanks. Something seemed very familiar about the scene but Marco didn't have time to search his memory. Chet was nudging him with his elbow and pulling the oxygen mask off his face.

"Marco, ...thanks man. That could've been… really bad if you hadn't noticed that ceiling …was about to give." Chet was still panting somewhat as he returned the mask to his face.

Marco just stared for a moment at his crewmate before returning his gaze to the young man near the squad. He hadn't noticed the ceiling falling but he'd explain that to Chet later on. Right now, he was mezmorized by the young blonde man who stood hovering lovingly over the form of the man Roy and Johnny had just rescued. The feeling of déjà vu was overwhelming as he leaned his head back against the engine. Then silent thunder rolled inside his mind as the subdued memory of his forgotten dream bubbled up to the surface of his consciousness and he remembered.


	4. Chapter 4

The Dream Puzzle

4

Mike backed the engine into the apparatus bay and four tired and weary firefighters exited. Hank made his way to his office as Mike headed toward the kitchen for some water. The two linesmen trudged toward the latrine. Chet got there first but was in no particular hurry to shower. He was still a little shaky from their run. He was more than happy to allow Marco to shower first. Marco was the senior of the two of them but more than that, he had saved Chet's life earlier and Chet felt like he owed him.

"Go ahead Marco, I need to rest a minute before I have the energy to shower." Chet gave Marco a sincere grin that made his blue eyes sparkle amid all the soot on his face.

"Thanks" was the only word Marco uttered as he began to strip down in the locker room. The hot water felt heavenly as it washed away the dirt, smoke and grime. He hastily cleaned himself off and then exited the shower so his partner could take a turn. Stepping out with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he looked at Chet.

"All yours."

"Oh, man, I bet…." Chet was mumbling something but Marco couldn't make it out over the sound of the running water. He slowly made his way over to his locker and began pulling out his spare clean uniform. Before he was completely dressed he heard Chet cut off the water. They knew to keep their showers short so there would be enough hot water to go around.

Marco had managed to dress the lower half of his body and decided to sit down to button up his light blue shirt as Chet made his way around the corner to his locker.

"Marco, my man, that shower felt almost as good as your tug on my shoulder when you saw that ceiling caving in."

This was the second time Chet had made that comment but it was the first time Marco had really heard it. For a moment, Marco felt like he'd gotten the wind knocked out of him.

"Chet, I didn't see that ceiling falling until you did and I didn't signal you to get out either."

"Come on Marco, I'm too tired for these games."

"I'm not kidding, Chet. I never pulled on your shoulder. I didn't know what was happening until you shut off the water and turned to run. Remember, you nearly bumped into me?"

Chet held onto the towel around his waist as he sat down on the bench in front of their lockers. His face was paling and Marco thought for a minute that he might pass out.

They sat in silence briefly until the sound of the shower running brought them back to the present. They had both been so wrapped up in their own thoughts that neither of them heard Mike enter the latrine. Chet turned to look at Marco.

"Marco, if it wasn't you then what the hell was it? I mean, we were standing inches apart."

"I don't know but I'm glad you felt….well, whatever it was you felt or else you and I might still be in that pile of rubble."

Chet leaned back against his locker letting Marco's words sink in. Nothing in his life made sense at that moment. He even wondered fleetingly if perhaps this was all a dream and he was still lying in bed watching a blonde stranger standing over Marco's bed watching him sleep.

_X_

The rest of the day had been quiet. Gage and DeSoto had returned from Rampart with the news that Mr. Flynn had been treated and was going to be released within a few hours. Dinner had been hamburgers which weren't half bad considering it was Johnny's turn to cook. Mike was cleaning up the dinner dishes when Roy and Johnny were called out on a case of possible food poisoning but the call had gotten canceled before they arrived. The victim had been transported by private vehicle to Rampart for treatment.

The crew of Station 51 settled down to watch a little television before "lights out." Chet tried to pay attention to the movie but his recent bout of insomnia coupled with his near-death experience had left him physically and emotionally drained. He looked at his watch. _Man, it's only 20:00, geesh. _Hoping his droopy eyes were an indication that precious sleep was indeed approaching, he meandered toward the dorm and prepared for bed.

"What's up with him?" Johnny was more than a little concerned that the Phantom might be up to something but he had noticed Chet acting strangely over the last few shifts.

"We just had a close call on that apartment fire today." Marco hoped that was all that was bothering his crewmate but he had a feeling there was more to it. This wasn't their first close call and no doubt it would not be their last. Marco wasn't sure if it was Chet's nervous behavior or his own strange dream that now had him shrouded in a peculiar sense of foreboding. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Experience had taught him to listen to his gut and right now his gut was screaming at him; the only problem was that he had no idea what it was warning him of.

"Maybe I better go check on him, guys." Marco hoped that the rest of his crewmates would catch on and allow them some privacy; that was, if Chet would talk to him. Marco grabbed a quick drink of water and made his way to the dorm.

Marco hesitated just outside the dorm door. He inhaled deeply then exhaled as he pushed through it.

"Chet, you ok?"

Marco didn't get an answer until he had rounded the corner of the half wall separating Mike's bunk from his and Chet's. There he saw Chet sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. His legs were extended out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. He seemed to be staring at the air between himself and Marco but not seeing anything. Marco stood at the corner leaning against the brick wall giving Chet some time. Just when he was about to repeat his question, Chet looked up at him.

"I don't know, man. I honestly don't know. I think….maybe I'm…uh." He exhaled heavily and scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands before he continued. "Damn it…I don't know, Marco. I think maybe I'm going nuts are something."

Marco pushed himself away from the wall and sat down on his bed facing Chet.

"Chet, come on. You're not crazy. Look, we had a close call today and for whatever reason you thought you felt me pull you back but I didn't. But look at us. We're both here and neither of us got hurt…..or worse...so it all worked out fine. Right?"

He got no response from the junior linesman.

"Chet…..Chet? This is about more than just that apartment fire isn't it?"

Chet opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated briefly before giving a slight chuckle and shook his head negatively. "It ain't nothin', Marco."

"Chet, yes it IS something. Now you know that we've got to keep our head on straight in order to stay safe on this job so don't just blow me off alright? Something big is bothering you. Who knows, maybe I can help." He hoped the younger man might confide in him but Chet had never been one to talk about serious matters so Marco knew it was a long shot.

They sat in silence listening to the clock tick for what seemed to Marco to be several minutes. He watched Chet pick at something invisible on his pant leg as he struggled to find the right words. Marco, being a patient man, gave Chet the time and space he needed to collect his thoughts. He didn't want to press him for information. If and when Chet revealed anything to him it would be in Chet's own sweet time.

The longer the two of them sat there silently the more concerned Marco was becoming that Chet would actually say nothing. Just when he was about to give up, he heard Chet inhale sharply and speak in a voice much softer than usual.

"Marco,..I….uh,….do you believe in ghosts?"


	5. Chapter 5

The Dream Puzzle -5

Marco considered carefully his words before he spoke.

"Chet, I don't really have an answer for you on that one. I mean, I've seen some things I can't explain."

"It's alright…..just, uh, will ya forget I said anything? Please?"

Chet wouldn't make eye contact with Marco and Marco knew that he had embarrassed his friend. He tried to think of something to say to keep Chet talking; to open up to him. Marco knew that Chet needed to clear his head before their next run or the outcome could be very different than the apartment fire.

"Chet, what have you seen or heard….or whatever?"

"Nothing, man…nothing, just…..I just need some sleep that's all." Chet started to pick at his pant leg again; a nervous habit Marco had noticed before.

"I'm just…well….I had a really strange dream the other night and it kinda….I don't know…spooked me a little, ya know?"

Marco considered Chet's statement as thoughts of his own dream returned.

"So, when did it happen? Here while you were on shift?"

Chet refused to make eye contact with his friend. He was afraid he had crossed some boundary from which he might not be able to return. But, he had already opened the door so he knew he had to keep on going. He hesitated momentarily trying to get the sequence together in his mind before he relayed his story.

"Marco, I know this had to be a dream but I swear, it was just so real. I mean, I saw this guy…um, ….shit, man." He exhaled sharply before continuing.

"Marco, last shift I was having trouble sleeping, you know, and I rolled over in bed and…I saw this guy standing over your bed. I mean, he was just standing there kind of bent over at the waist and leaning down like he was looking at you…..well, I mean he was looking at you because when I raised up on one elbow to get a better look at him, he looked up at me…well, his beard shifted up anyway so I knew he was looking at me and then he was gone. I mean, you rolled over in your sleep and then, he was just gone…and I looked everywhere in the station but no one was here and…" Chet realized he wasn't making any sense. He moved to a sitting position and rested his elbows on his knees. He was afraid to look up at Marco. He didn't want to see the look in Marco's eyes and he sure didn't want to hear what Marco had to say. He deeply regretted his decision to say anything. He leaned his head further down and ran both hands through his dark curls.

"Chet,…..what did this guy look like?"

Chet chuckled nervously. He felt like Marco was just trying to be nice or something. "Marco, look….it's ok. I know it was just a dream and I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill so…" He was cut off by Marco's next statement.

"Chet, please…..I'm begging you to be honest with me ok? I REALLY need to know what this guy looked like?"

Chet heard the emotion in Marco's voice and couldn't understand why. "He, ah…he was wearing a loose fitting white shirt and he had kinda gold colored curly hair and a gold colored beard."

"Chet, what did his face look like? His eyes, nose…..what did they look like?"

"Marco, look, man, don't make fun of me, alright?" He stood abruptly and started to walk to the latrine but Marco grabbed his arm tightly.

"Chet, I am NOT making fun of you and I have my own reasons for asking….please, what did his face look like?"

Chet was more than a little freaked out by his friend's reaction to all this. Marco wasn't looking at him. He was staring at the floor. But Chet could feel his hand shaking as he gripped his arm tighter and he could hear the anxiety in Marco's voice. _Shit Marco, you did see him didn't you? _"I don't know, man. I couldn't see his face. Even when he looked up at me all I could see was his beard. His face was in the shadows."

Marco began to shake uncontrollably as he continued to look at the floor. Chet stood completely still; unsure of what was happening at the moment. Marco's grip loosened on Chet's arm and then slid back down to his own lap. Tears he couldn't explain were flowing down his cheeks as he realized that ninety percent of his own dream puzzle had just been completed. "Dulce Jesús, realmente sucedió."


	6. Chapter 6

The Dream Puzzle-6

Chet stood frozen as he looked down at the older man. Marco looked up wiping his eyes. He knew he owed Chet an explanation but he was having trouble finding his voice.

"Marco?" Chet said nervously as he sat back down on his bunk. "Marco, did you see him too?"

Marco shook his head negatively as he again looked away. It took him a few moments before he was able to speak to his friend.

"I, uh, didn't see him the way that you did. But I did dream about him….Chet, you saw my dream."

Chet heard a gasp and realized it was his own. What had Marco just said? Had he really been dreaming about the man who was standing by his bed that night?

"Marco, please tell me. Tell me what you saw."

Marco finally raised his face to look into the eyes of his crewmate. He found himself not only looking into the eyes of his friend but of the only other person who knew how he was feeling at the moment.

"Chet, in my dream I was standing in front of this fellow. I only saw him from the waist up. He was wearing something like a white robe. The background was orange. I have no idea what that means but it wasn't like flames or anything. He had curly hair and a beard. Both were sort of a gold/metallic color – like nothing I've ever seen. And he was talking to me and I remember thinking that I was going to have to remember all these things he was saying. I mean, it was tons of information. But the last thing I remember him saying was this: 'When you wake up you won't remember anything I've said but when you need it, it'll be there.' I don't know what that means but Chet the weirdest thing is that I couldn't see his face. It was as if I wasn't allowed to look directly at him or something."

"And I couldn't see his face either…..."

Both men were lost in thought for a long moment. Neither knew what to say but suddenly Chet no longer felt like he was losing his mind. "Marco, don't take this the wrong way or anything but I sure am glad you had that dream because at least I'm not nuts."

"Or maybe we both are." Marco was still stunned. He didn't know what to make of this particular situation.

"Hey, maybe what I saw wasn't a ghost after all. Maybe it was an angel."

"Me? Visited by an angel?" Marco shook his head but he had to admit that he had no better explanation.

"Chet, I'm hoping this is all just a coincidence. I mean, maybe you really were dreaming and for some reason, our dreams were similar." Marco knew that it couldn't have been a coincidence. He knew how insane that idea sounded but the thought of him being visited by some angelic being sounded even more insane. He wasn't a particularly religious man which in his mind made the likelihood of a heavenly visitor even more ridiculous.

"Marco, I don't think we should tell anybody. I mean, Cap would think we'd been eating too much smoke or something so let's not tell him ok?"

"Huh, tell him what? That his two linesmen are wacko?"

Chet let out a nervous roar of laughter. Marco never used the term 'wacko' so to hear him say it in reference to the two of them gave Chet the release he so desperately needed. He let his body fall to the side on his bunk as tears of laughter poured from his weary eyes.

"Oh, uh oh Marco, that was too funny. You should've heard yourself now. Oh gosh, haha, oh."

Marco finally gave in to the ripples of laughter that were beginning to bubble towards the surface of his face. He finally grinned and joined his friend in heaving belly laughs.

"Well, well, what'd we miss fellas?" Captain Stanley asked as he led the others into the dorm. It was time for lights out.

"Oh, oh it's nothin' Cap. Honest," heaved Chet.

Hank Stanley didn't push either of them. Somehow, it seemed that Marco had gotten through to Chet and he was glad that the younger man seemed to be more focused and rid of whatever demons had been bringing him down over the last couple of shifts.

Johnny looked at the two of them laughing and then carefully examined his bunk. He looked under it above it and even checked to make sure that it wasn't short-sheeted or filled with flour. "Huh?" he muttered looking over at the two men again. Chet caught a glimpse of Johnny's nervous behavior and rolled off his bed onto the floor laughing.

"Whatever you two are smoking, I want some," came the usually quiet Stoker. His uncharacteristic behavior brought a round of snickers from the entire crew.

"Ga, Gage, the Phantom has not been busy tonight. I promise ya, ok?" Chet finally got the words out.

Johnny wasn't sure whether to believe him or not but he did know that Marco would never participate in the antics of Chet's alter- ego. So, he then confidently set up his turnout gear and crawled into his bunk.

By 23:00, the lights were out and all six firefighters all sleeping soundly in the dorm at Station 51.


	7. Chapter 7

The Dream Puzzle-7

"Mornin' fellas." Chet said as he entered the kitchen area. Marco and Mike were already there enjoying their first cups of coffee. It had been 4 ½ months since the night that Marco and Chet had finally discussed the strange events during Chet's sleepless night at the station. The two rarely talked about it although neither man had forgotten even the tiniest detail. But no one could have imagined that within a few short hours it would all come back – even the missing pieces.

After roll call Hank had decided to have a quick meeting before the men started their chores. The holiday season was in full-swing and he felt the need to remind his men about the need to be extra careful. There was always an increase in incidents during this season. Impatient drivers caused an increase in MVA's and holiday decorations seemed to result in an increase in structure fires. As a father, he also wanted to remind them that with school being out there was also a higher than normal chance of victims being children during daytime fires. But by the time this shift ended, he'd have a new warning for his men.

Chet was mopping the latrine when the klaxons sounded. Johnny and Marco were exiting the dorm while Mike and Roy quickly made their way from the kitchen to their places as the drivers of the engine and squad, respectively. Cap jogged from his office to the radio to acknowledge the call and then climbed into his seat in the engine as the bay doors opened.

The call was for children trapped inside an abandoned school house. The site was scheduled to be demolished in January. It was extremely unstable. The six men rode in total silence. Calls involving the rescue of children were the most difficult emotionally and everyone knew that with the condition of the building the likelihood of serious injury, or worse, was elevated. They were driving into a 'worst case scenario' and they all knew it.

Hank and Roy were the only two men with children and both of them felt a certain chill go up their spines when the call for trapped or injured children came in. This one was no different. Johnny had no children but he was very close to Roy's kids and both of them were on his mind as the two of them rode in silence. Mike, Marco and Chet all had nieces and nephews with whom they shared close bonds so this was going to be a tough call for everyone on "A" shift.

They arrived in less than 12 minutes which was incredible considering the bumper to bumper traffic that Roy and Mike had been forced to navigate through to reach this desolate area of their district. All of the buildings were rickety. Most of the windows were broken but at least there was no fire with which to contend. This place would be incinerated in short order if that were the case.

Deputy cars with lights flashing were already on scene. Sitting on the hood of one of the cars was a frightened boy of about 10 years with scratches and bruises on his face and arms. His clothes were torn in some places and he was covered in dirt and grime.

"Roy, check on the boy." The order came from Cap as he made his way over to Vince Howard who seemed to be the Sheriff's Deputy in charge of the scene.

"What've we got, Vince?"

"Well, seems a group of boys, four from what we can tell, decided to explore this old school building when the floor collapsed. This one here," he gestured to the boy being tended to by Roy, "managed to get out and go for help. The other three are still in there somewhere."

"Oh Jesus, have their parents been contacted?"

"We're trying Hank but so far we've only gotten through to Heath's father and he's on his way." Again, he gestured to the boy who now had a few bandages on his left arm and face.

"Hey Cap?" The call was coming from Roy who was closing up the drug box. "Heath says they were in a room on the back side of the building and the floor started to crack and they fell through. He was close enough to a doorframe that he held on to it and managed not to fall down to the basement."

"Is he ok?"

"Yea, he's really shook up but he's just got some scrapes and bruises; nothing that needs more than a bandage for now." Roy was very good at communicating with kids, especially since Chris was about that same age, which is why Cap had assigned him to the boy initially. If anyone could calm his fears while obtaining much needed information it was Roy.

Vince had already determined that blueprints of the building had been lost long ago and right now the LA County Sheriff's Office was trying to track down anyone who had knowledge of the layout of the building. It hadn't been used in 20 years which was proving to be an issue; no one seemed to know who to contact for details on the building.

"Vince, you got names on the missing kids?" Cap knew they'd need to be able to call out for the boys and having their names would help. But before Vince could answer Roy chimed in.

"Uh, I got that, Cap. We've got Jacob, Calvin and Brandon still in there. Heath is the name of the kid who's out."

"Alright men," Hank began, "let's head to the back and see what we find." Immediately, all six men all in turnout gear, headed around to the back of the building. This was one time that Hank really wished he had another captain on the scene because his heart ached for those boys and their parents…..and he wanted to be in there with his men helping to find them.

As Hank looked around the old campus, he could almost hear the echoes of happy children running to and fro amid the buildings. He watched his men climb the six brick steps and one by one enter through the double doors. These doors led into a long hallway with rooms on either side. Each step one of the men took sent groans through the old school building. The hallway walls and floor were covered with dust, spider webs, and the occasional book. There was even an old banner still hanging on the wall near the end of the hallway. Several sets of small footprints could be seen in the dust on the floor which made finding the room easy enough; the first room they looked into had a gaping hole near the far wall. Pieces of boards were jutting out in multiple directions like shark's teeth.

"Jacob?"

"Calvin? Hello?"

"Brandon? Can you hear me?"

Chet, Johnny and Roy were all calling out to the boys they knew had to be inside the dark hole. Marco hung back away from the opening listening for any sounds that might come from another direction. He thought for a moment that he heard a bell; much like the old desk bells school teachers used decades before. Having only heard it once though he dismissed it as part of the 'character' of the old building.

"Help….please."

"Hey, hey….listen up guys." Chet had heard the meek voice. "We're here to help you boys, ok?"

"What's your name?" Roy asked. His was the task of calming down the frightened child while the others decided how to extricate him.

"Bra..Brandon." The boy was obviously scared and was crying.

"Brandon, listen don't be afraid ok? We've got five firemen up here and we're gonna get you out real soon, ok? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"My, um, my elbow hurts bad."

"Ok, just don't move. My partner's name is Johnny and he's gonna come down on a rope and he'll bring you back up ok?"

"K, um, can he get Calvin and Jake too?"

"Are they with you, son?"

There was silence for a moment and all Roy could hear was the sound of sniffling coming from the darkness.

"Brandon? Brandon, son, don't be afraid. Johnny's gonna be down there in just a minute ok? I need to know if Calvin and Jacob are with you down there."

"I don't know….the floor went away and I fell and I….I don't know." He was sobbing and Roy felt terrible for the boy. He could only imagine Chris in this same predicament.

"Son, it's ok, it's alright. You just keep talking to me alright? What grade are you in?"

Marco, Chet and Johnny were deep in a discussion of the best way to get to the boys. Mike had returned to update their Captain on the situation and to retrieve the needed ropes, harnesses, and various other equipment. By the time he and Hank returned, a suitable beam had been located which could support the weight of Johnny and each young boy. They began to work together much like a well- oiled machine. Each man knew his role and with very few words spoken everything was ready for Johnny's decent into the darkness. As Johnny's head slipped beneath the boards, Marco jerked his head to the right. He had heard it again. That same bell ringing he'd heard earlier. But again, no one else seemed to hear it.


	8. Chapter 8

The Dream Puzzle-8

Johnny clicked his flashlight on to illuminate the dungeon-like hole he was being lowered into.

"Brandon? Where are you? Can you hear me?"

"I'm ov…over here."

Johnny heard more sniffles as he shot a beam of light in the direction of the frail voice. The shaft of light fell on the torso of a young boy who sat leaning against an old bookshelf with his left hand holding his right arm. His knees were pulled up towards his chest and Johnny noticed that his jeans were torn at the knees. There was some blood around the tears but not enough to cause him concern.

"Hey there" he said as he released himself from the rope and began to climb towards the frightened boy. "My name's Johnny and I'm gonna get ya outta here in just a minute ok?"

The child nodded his head affirmatively but didn't speak. Johnny began a quick assessment and determined that Brandon most likely had a dislocated elbow and some minor lacerations and bruises. Behind him he heard the sound of boxes bumping the debris and turned to see that Roy had lowered the trauma box and drug box to him. Roy would man the biophone from above as it would most likely not have a good signal so far below ground.

He made his way back over the debris to the boxes and removed only the items he'd need to immobilize Brandon's elbow so that he could be harnessed up and removed from the dusty hole.

"Brandon, do you know if Calvin and Jacob are down here with you?"

"Uh, Jake went out that door over there to try to find a way out," he said pointing toward an interior wall, "but I don't know what happened to Calvin."

"Well, I'm gonna look for them both just as soon as we get you up top, alright?" Johnny tried not to let the sound of worry enter into his voice. That wouldn't help Brandon and he knew it.

In no time at all, Brandon was being hoisted to the first floor and into the welcoming arms of Mike. Roy had been given directions from Rampart to transport when possible but since no IV was needed he and Johnny were to remain on scene for the other two victims. Brandon's mother had arrived and Mike became teary-eyed at the joyful reunion of mother and son. He patted the young man on the head and assisted his crying mother into the back of the ambulance. He secured the doors and gave the obligatory two slaps to signal to the driver that they were ready to roll. He then turned his attention back to the building and the two remaining victims somewhere deep inside.

Once Johnny was certain that Brandon was safely back on the first floor of the rickety building, he turned his attention to locating the other boys.

"Jake? Calvin?" Johnny called out as he shined his flashlight around the basement room and maneuvered his way around toppled book cases and overturned desks.

Marco walked gingerly down the hallway in search of the source of the ringing sound he'd heard earlier.

"Calvin? Jacob?" He called out hoping that one or both of the boys had miraculously found their way into another room rather than being trapped in the basement. He heard creaks and groans as the old building protested his weight but there was no sign of either boy. In the third room he entered, two rooms down from the one with the hole in the floor, he noticed a small bell toppled on its side on the floor beneath the chalkboard. _ Well Marco, at least you weren't hearing things! _

"Calvin? Jacob? Can you hear me?" He called as he headed toward the chalkboard. He bent down to take a closer look at the bell but what he saw made him catch his breath.

Johnny could see dust floating in the beam of light he was shining around the room. The musty odor mingled with the dust tickled his nose and he began a series of sneezes. The final sneeze was so violent that he lost his grip on his flashlight and swore to himself as it fell to the floor between two toppled bookcases.

"Damn it!"

His HT came to life with a crackle as Cap asked him for an update.

"Cap, it's cluttered and musty down here. I dropped my da…..uh..my flashlight," he said as the strain in his voice let Hank know he was struggling to reach it. "I, ah….Cap I see something. Standby."

Marco gasped as he picked up the old bell. The tinkling sound it made in his hand was clear even though the bell was covered in a very thick layer of dust. Marco clicked on his flashlight for a closer examination and returned his gaze to the spot where the bell had lain. The nearly clean spot on the floor in the shape of the bell stood witness to the fact that the bell had not been moved since the last day this building had been used. Whatever sound he had heard had not been made by the bell he now held in his hand. He gently laid it back down in the exact spot where he had found it and wiped away the rivulets of sweat that had suddenly begun to pour from his temples.

Johnny reached for the small hand that lay beneath a bookcase. He felt for a pulse; it was weak but it was there. He keyed the microphone on his HT. "Cap, I found one of the other boys. He's unconscious but I got a pulse. I'm gonna need a backboard and stokes." He turned his attention to his newest victim.

"Hang on, son. I'm gonna get you outta here."

"John, we're sending them down to you now. Can you manage alone or do you need help?"

"Cap, I think I can manage. I'll let you know if I can't do it by myself. I don't know if that beam will hold anyone else's weight. It's risky."

Johnny set down his HT and began assessing how to remove the bookcase. After a couple of minutes he determined that the only way to remove the bookcase without pressing on the child's body any harder was to pick-up both ends simultaneously – and he couldn't do that alone. He again keyed up the microphone. "Hey Cap, I'm gonna need some help down here. We gotta pick up both ends of the bookcase at the same time to keep from doing more damage to him."

Chet heard what Johnny was saying to Hank – sound carried quite well in the empty building – and he began immediately harnessing up. Once he was lowered and unhooked, the rope was hoisted up so that Roy and Mike could send down the stokes and pediatric backboard.

"Follow me, Chet but watch out for the broken boards."

Chet followed Johnny over several steps to the place where several bookcases had toppled in domino fashion. "Here, Chet, take this end and on three slide it back your way. Then I can pull'im out this way."

Chet and Johnny quickly lifted the empty bookshelf and stepped back toward the darkened corner. Johnny was careful to step clear of the boy and then they set it down so that the boy accessible but the moved bookcase still supported the others behind it.

Johnny assessed the boy for injuries feeling up and down his limbs; no obvious fractures. He checked his pupils the left was blown but the right was equal and reactive. He had a large laceration on the top of his head just above the hairline. His hair was matted together where the blood was beginning to dry. He had trickles of blood running down the left side of his face. His breathing was somewhat shallow and his pulse was rapid. Johnny breathed out a sigh of relief when he palpated his abdomen and found it soft.

Chet returned quickly with the backboard and trauma box. He knew that they had to assume a spinal injury. Within a few minutes the child was strapped to the backboard with his head and neck immobilized. Chet and Johnny carried the boy gently over to the stokes and prepared him for the ride to the surface.

Marco stood up slowly; his legs suddenly feeling like limp noodles. He found himself sweating and shivering at the same time. He leaned onto the teacher's desk that stood like a guard in front of the old chalkboard. He needed to catch his breath and clear his mind. Was he hearing things? _Great, Chet is having visual hallucinations and I'm having auditory hallucinations! We're toast! _He scrubbed his face with his hands before standing again. He had to get back to assist the others. As he turned to walk back out the door he noticed a strange pattern on the chalkboard. Was it dust or old chalk? He really wasn't sure. The light was dim in the room but he found that his flashlight was too bright and actually made the image disappear. He stared at it for only a moment when it dawned on him what he was looking at.

"The kid's bad, huh Gage?"

"Yea, Chet, yea he is. I don't know how much of his 'golden hour' is left but it ain't much."

Both men watched as the stokes was hoisted up through the jagged hole in the floor.

"Ah, John, why don't you go back up and help Roy. I heard Brandon say that Jake walked through the door in the back so we know he's ambulatory. I'll stay down here and look for him while you and Roy work on Calvin." Chet's face was filled with concern. He wanted to give Calvin the best chance he could and that meant he needed the dynamic duo of Gage and DeSoto on his side right now.

"Chet, you sure?"

"Absolutely, Gage. Just give me your flashlight a'right?"

"You got it, man." Gage looked back up just as the stokes was pulled out of his line of sight. "Hey, fellas'? Send it down again. Chet's gonna keep looking down here so I can come up and help Roy." There was a slight echo of his voice within the damp and darkened basement which felt like cold fingers walking up his spine making him shiver.

"Here it comes, Gage." Mike lowered the rope back down and waited for the signal that Johnny was harnessed up and ready to be pulled out.

"Mar.." Mike started to say as he looked around for Marco but realized he was nowhere to be found. "Hey, Marco?" Mike shouted but got no response other than the faint echo of his own voice. He felt the end of the rope being picked up and turned to see Cap standing behind him ready to help pull up their other paramedic as Roy began working frantically on Calvin.

Johnny signaled and both men pulled in unison. Slowly Johnny began to appear from below. With each pull the heavy beam above them groaned and popped. Just as Johnny's lower legs came into view, the beam gave one final cracking sound and crashed through to the basement.


	9. Chapter 9

The Dream Puzzle-9

The vibrations sent dust and debris pouring through the door Chet had just exited.

"Holy shit!" Chet said pulling himself up from the floor of the hallway and dusting himself off. He groped around for the flashlight he'd dropped from the impact. Clicking it on, he whistled long and slow. The doorway was now completely blocked. If there wasn't another exit to the outside from down here then he was trapped.

"Gage, pal are you alright?" Cap had watched as his engineer had grabbed the paramedic's proffered hand just as the beam broke and crashed down.

"Yea….Yea Cap, I think so." He was pulling his pant leg loose from one of the jagged boards. Blood was running down his calf but it wasn't bad enough to cause either of them alarm. He looked over at Mike who was breathing hard; partly from exertion but mainly from fear. "Thanks, Stoker."

Mike gave him a grin and a slap on the back.

"Gage, you and Roy get the boy out and do what you can for him. I've already called for an air ambulance so it ought to be here any minute. The rest of us will get Chet out." Cap looked around at the carnage. "Where's Marco, Mike?

"I don't know, Cap. He was here one minute and then he was gone."

"Well this is going to hell in a hand-basket," Cap said to no one in particular. "He must be outside. Hey, fellas, tell Marco to get back in here and help us find Chet."

The two paramedics spoke their acknowledgement as they carried the unconscious Calvin, surrounded by their equipment, out the doors and headed toward the squad. Overhead they heard the distinct sound of a chopper flying in low. Roy sighed with relief knowing that in less than 15 minutes their young victim would be in a treatment room at Rampart.

"Roy, you ride in with him and I'll stay here for the other kid…..and maybe Chet too."

Roy knew that when it came to child victims, Johnny preferred for Roy to handle them. He seemed to have a more gentle spirit with kids; especially since he was a father himself. He also knew that even though Gage and Kelly had a unique and outwardly hostile relationship that deep down they really were good friends.

"You take care of that leg soon as you can too, alright?" Roy spoke as though he was asking but they both knew that the senior paramedic was actually ordering him to get it cleaned and bandaged before going back into the old building.

The chopper landed and they headed toward it with their patient. Whatever treatment the emergency room doctors at Rampart ordered could be started with them in the air. "Here, Junior, you keep the biophone. I can communicate with Rampart by relay once we're airborne."

Gage nodded as he took the biophone out of the stokes after the child was loaded.

"CALVIN! Nooooo!"

Johnny jerked his head around to see a young woman with a tear-stained face running toward them. He put the biophone on the ground and reached out to intercept the woman.

"Hey, hey…it's ok, he's alive a'right? But he needs medical care right away. He's being flown to Rampart and my partner will be right there with him all the way."

"But, he's…he's my baby!" She cried.

Roy sensed that she needed to at least touch her son and he knew that it might do Calvin some good too. "Ma'am, please tell him you'll be meeting him at Rampart. He can probably hear you even though he can't respond."

She gingerly pulled away from Johnny as he lowered his arms; but stayed nearby in case she fainted. He'd been a paramedic long enough to know what intense emotions could do to a person.

"Calvin, sweetie, it's Momma" she crooned as she rubbed his arm and squeezed his hand. You're gonna ride in a helicopter with this nice fireman and he's gonna take good care of you. I'll see you in a few minutes, baby, ok?" Her voice was filled with emotion and more tears flowed as she let go of his hand. Gage stood behind her giving her some space but also there in case her knees buckled.

As the chopper door was slammed shut, a deep baritone voice came from behind Johnny.

"Ma'am, I can give you a ride to the hospital if you'd like." Johnny and the woman both turned to see a deputy standing there with his hand reaching towards her. She nodded her acceptance and mouthed a 'Thank You' to both the deputy and to Johnny as the helicopter began warming up again to make a quick trip to Rampart.

Johnny suddenly remembered that he was to send Marco back in to help with the search for Jacob and Chet. He spun around looking in all directions. He didn't see Marco so he assumed he had already gone back into the building but he did see a young couple kneeling near the patrol cars. His heart broke for them. He knew they were the parents of the only child who remained in the building. The mother was on her knees clutching a child's jacket while her husband was kneeling behind her seemingly holding her up by the shoulders. The wind blew her auburn hair blew away from her face and Johnny had to look away. He knew the chances of Jacob being found safe were dwindling with each passing minute and he could already see the pain and grief etching lines all over her young face.

Marco had made it to the bottom of the stairwell when he heard the terrible crash. He surmised that the beam had given way and was terrified of who may now be trapped underneath it. He grabbed his flashlight while he coughed from the dust floating around in the damp and dark basement; the result of the destruction at the other end of the hall. He stepped around the corner of the stairwell and yelled as he came face to face with a brilliant beam of white light.

"AARRGH!"

Chet gave up trying to find a way back into the room the large beam had just crushed. "Damn it!" He turned around and began shining his flashlight on the floor of the hallway in the other direction. He had only taken a few steps when he jerked his flashlight upwards towards a shadow of movement that caught his attention. Suddenly another beam of light was thrust into his face and he heard a man's yell.

"Hey, what the..?"

"Chet? Chet is that you?" The voice belonged to Marco but was still a little higher pitched from the yelp he had just shouted out.

"Geez, what the hell are you doing down here?"

"Chet, it's a long story…..what about the boys?" Marco knew that one of the boys had been found. He was not aware that Calvin had been rescued in very serious condition. Chet filled him in on how Gage had found Calvin and explained why Chet was now in the hallway looking for Jacob.

"Well, we can get out by going back up this stairway," Marco said pointing his flashlight back up the stairs he had just come down.

"That's good to know but we still need to find Jacob. Brandon said he walked this way so he's got to be here somewhere."

The two of them continued down the darkened hallway with only their flashlights to illuminate the way.

Johnny limped back into the building with his freshly bandaged shin. "Cap, Marco back yet? He ain't outside."

Johnny immediately knew the answer by the look on his Captain's face. "No, no he didn't."

Now Captain Stanley had three reasons to worry as he, Mike and Johnny began discussing ways to get down into the basement without causing further damage.

As the helicopter set down on the helipad outside Rampart, Roy was breathing a little easier for his patient. His vitals had improved after his mother spoke to him and Roy had a warm feeling that Calvin would be alright.

"Ok, Buddy, now just a quick ride in an ambulance and we'll be there." He hoped Calvin could hear him. He patted his patient on the shoulder as he was loaded into the ambulance. Roy's touch elicited some slight movement in Calvin's closed eyes and it did not go unnoticed by the paramedic. He smiled down at the boy and whispered "atta boy" into his ear.

"Over here!"

"Chet, did you hear that?" Marco stood motionless in the hallway.

"Jacob? Jake can you hear me?" Chet shouted down the corridor.

"I'm here but I'm stuck."

"Jake, keep talking and we'll find you ok?" Marco made a sweeping motion with his flashlight. On the second sweep he caught a glimpse of something orange….the same color orange as the background in his dream from several months ago.

"Jake, is that you Jake?" Marco called out as he hurried over to the corner at the end of the long hallway. What he found was the torso of a young boy with bright orange hair. He appeared to be trapped in the wall; his upper half was in the hallway and his lower half was hidden inside the wall.

"How'd you get stuck in there?" Chet asked as he and Marco began assessing the predicament the child was in.

"I saw this hole and I thought maybe I could get out of it. But when I went in, well, there was no way out – it's just a hole in the wall or somethin'. I tried to crawl out but I got hung." He was sniffling a little but the two firefighters couldn't tell if it was from tears or dust.

Marco and Chet felt around inside the hole and realized that the boy's belt had gotten looped over an old nail effectively pinning him to the interior side of the opening. He wasn't strong enough to pull himself loose. Chet reached down his back until he could grab the belt where it was attached to the nail. With an upward motion, he lifted the boy's rear end up just enough to pull the belt off the nail.

"Aw, thanks, Mister!"

"Now, watch yourself as you ease out – ok son? Don't want to get cut on an old rusty nail." Marco held the light on the boy's back as he spoke to him.

Jake crawled out and stood up brushing himself off. His clothing had a few tears and was dirty but other than a few bruises; he seemed in remarkably good shape for a child who had fallen from the upper level down into the dungeon-like basement.

"Jake, are you hurt anywhere we can't see?" Chet asked. He feared the child may have gone into shock based on his strangely calm demeanor.

"Nah, I feel ok. Kinda achy like but that's all."

"Well, you are one lucky kid," Marco said as they made their way up the stairway Marco had found earlier. "In fact, all you boys are."

The floor creaked as they walked across it and Marco did a double-take. The chalk diagram of the floor plans for the old school was no longer on the chalkboard. The chalkboard had not been cleaned; it was still covered with dust and debris. He was even more dumbfounded when he saw the old teacher's bell sitting upright on the desk; still covered in a thick layer of dust. He carefully swept his flashlight beam across the floor beneath the chalkboard and saw nothing but layer upon layer of dust and dirt – no outline to prove that the bell had been moved. He knew that he should have been mortified by the strange turn of events but instead he felt at total peace. Everything was exactly as it should be.

Chet and Jake continued talking about his experiences in the basement. He never asked about the condition of his friends. For that, the firefighters were thankful. They had very little information to give him. The trio walked across the large room and out into the hallway. Instead of turning right to go to the back of the building – the way they had entered – they turned left toward the front of the building; not a single one of them had any idea why.

_Station 10, respond to Station 51's location to assist with extrication from a collapsed building._

Hank and Mike began pulling out equipment they'd need to begin the search for Jake and their missing crewmates. Just as they turned to head back toward the decaying building, they saw the front door open – and Chet, Marco and Jake all walked out under their own power.

"Jacob…..oh thank God!" The auburn haired woman quickly jumped to her feet and began running; closing the distance between herself and her son in a matter of seconds. She lavished his filthy face with kisses and squeezed him tight.

Hank had tears in his eyes as he keyed up the engine's microphone to cancel the call out of Station 10.

"Oh thank you…..thank you both." Mrs. O'Leary looked up at the two firefighters standing on either side of her son.

Neither man knew how to respond. They couldn't explain how they found Jake so they both just stood there smiling at the happy reunion playing out before them. Mr. O'Leary shook the hands of both men and then gave Jake a loving pat on the head.

"Son, we were so worried about you. We love you!" He spoke with a broken voice as tears hovered along the rims of his eyes.

"Oh Jake, you must have been so frightened." His mother looked him in the eyes as she again ran her hands across his forehead wiping the orange curls away from his face.

"Mom, don't cry. I wasn't afraid. The man in the white shirt caught me when I fell and carried me down the hall. He said that we were all gonna be alright and I should just wait for the firemen there."

The adults stared at each other speechless. Hank, Mike and Johnny tried to make sense of what Jacob had just said but there were two men standing there to whom the child's words made perfect sense. The puzzle was finally complete.

Johnny limped back to the squad. He was much more tired than he realized; his adrenaline rush from earlier was fading. He couldn't explain what he'd just witnessed but he couldn't wait to talk to Roy about it. Normally, he'd be concerned about their young victim but after hearing Jake's story he knew that Calvin would recover completely. He backed the squad away from the scene and headed to Rampart. He needed to pick up his partner – and probably get a tetanus shot while he was there. He hated needles but this rescue had gone so well he couldn't help but grin. In fact, he was still smiling an hour later when Dixie injected him.

The rest of the crew of Station 51 headed back to quarters for much needed showers and rest; they hoped. They made the drive in complete silence; each man dealing with the events of the day in his own way.

Marco showered first and made his way to the dorm. He needed a few minutes of down time before starting dinner. Momentarily, he was joined by Chet who sat on his bunk facing his older crewmate.

"Marco, you never did tell me how you found that stairway."

"It was the weirdest thing, Chet. I kept hearing this ringing sound. It was so soft that I really wasn't even sure I heard it; I'm still not. So, I went down the hallway to the place where I thought I heard it and I actually found a small bell tipped on its side on the floor beneath the chalkboard."

"Huh, who do you think rang it?"

"Well, that's just it, Chet. No one had. It was covered in dust and when I moved it I could see the clean spot where it had been laying." He looked up and into Chet's blue eyes. "It hadn't been moved in years. That bell did NOT make the ringing sound I heard."

"Ok, so it was from somewhere else; you know how sound travels and….." Chet stopped in mid-sentence as Marco began shaking his head negatively.

"No way, man. See, when we came back up the stairs that same bell was sitting on the teacher's desk….and it was covered with dust there too except the one place on the handle where I had picked it up before I went downstairs. Nobody moved it, Chet. Nobody. There wasn't even a clean spot on the floor where I had just seen the bell earlier." Marco leaned over with his elbows on his knees. "And that isn't all either."

Chet's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose up closer to his hairline as he waited with baited breath to hear the rest of Marco's story.

"When I picked up the bell I was standing in front of the chalkboard and, Chet….I know this sounds crazy but…" he ran his hands through his dark hair before he continued, "the dust or chalk or something on the board formed a perfect diagram of the room…..and there was a drawing of a stairway inside the storage closet…and when I opened the door, there it was!"

"Marco….are you shittin' me?"

"No man…..and we came back up the stairs, it was gone…..not erased…the chalkboard was still dusty. But that diagram wasn't there." He stared into the air between them momentarily before he continued. "Then Jake saying that the man in the white shirt caught him and told him we were coming….well, I'm still shaky from all that."

Chet, for perhaps the first time ever, sat on his bunk speechless.

"Come on, Chet. I need some help in the kitchen." Marco slapped his friend on the back as they headed toward the kitchen to prepare dinner for the crew.

Roy backed the squad into the bay and he and John walked towards the dayroom. Well, Roy walked while Johnny limped. John sat down on the sofa and propped his bandaged leg up on a chair.

"How's the boy?" Hank as well as the others figured the report they got from Jacob was accurate and they were right.

"Oh, Brackett says he'll be fine. He's concussed but he should be out of the hospital in time for Christmas." Roy said while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Wow, today's the 23rd so that's pretty quick." Mike mused to himself.

John coughed and adjusted his leg on the chair.

"Oh, yea, yea…..how's the leg, John?" Cap asked somewhat sarcastically with a grin.

"Oh it's gonna be fine…just fine, Cap." Johnny said with an exaggerated expression of pain; he was milking it for all it was worth.

The television was on playing an old Christmas classic while the men continued talking about the boys and the old school building. Meanwhile, Marco and Chet were busy chopping vegetables preparing Marco's famous chili.

"Ooh, hey, turn it up, turn it up." Johnny shouted, momentarily forgetting his injuries. "This is my favorite part."

"_Teacher says… every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings"_

Chet coughed as he set down his knife and stepped outside for some fresh air. Marco stood motionless with tears streaming down his face. They had both heard the well-known phrase from "It's A Wonderful Life" and both knew, without a doubt, that little ZuZu was right.

The End


End file.
